Typically, a light fixture designer has used a conventional, known light source and focused efforts on shaping the emitted light so as to provide the desired compromise between the total light output (efficiency) and the desired footprint of the emitted light. Issues like thermal management were peripheral. With a light emitting diode (LED), however, issues like changes in the light output over time, the potential need to convert to DC power, and the need for careful thermal management become much more significant. To further complicate this, LED technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, making it difficult to design a fixture that directly integrates the LEDs into the fixture.
One known issue with LEDs is that it is important to keep the temperature of the LED cool enough so that the potential life of the LED can be maintained. Otherwise, the heat will cause the light output of the LED to quickly degrade and the LED will cease to provide the rated light output long before the LED would otherwise cease to function properly. Therefore, while the heat output of LEDs is not extreme, the relative sensitivity of the LED to the heat causes heat management to become a relatively important issue. Existing designs may not fully account for the heat generated, tend to provide relatively limited lumen output or tend to use expensive thermal management solutions that make the design of the LED replacement bulb extremely costly. Therefore, individuals would appreciate further improvements in LED light modules that could provide a cost effective solution to the issue of heat management.